Failsafe Trailer Training For The Most Difficult Of Horses

Failsafe Trailer Training for the Most Difficult of Horses

by

Josie Amani

Horses survive in the wild thanks to their fight or flight instinct. Horses were never cave dwellers and this made sense from a horse’s point of view because being trapped in a cave meant death. A trailer is as dark and ominous to a horse as a cave, so be patient when trailer training your horse, you are asking him to do the exact opposite of what his instincts are telling him: to enter a dark and enclosed area!

Many horses are initially fearful of being led into a trailer so it’s best to breakdown the experience in order not to overwhelm the horse. A good way to do this is to introduce the horse to a thick sheet of plywood on the ground and have him walk over it. Allow him to look at the plywood and smell it and don’t force him over it. A lot of coaxing helps relax the horse. Try this several times until the horse is comfortable walking over it.

In the next step of the exercise try raising the sheet over some 4x4s but make sure it is strong enough to safely bear the weight of the horse otherwise it may break and scare the horse. Place some grain or hay onto the raised plywood to encourage the horse to step onto it and to reinforce the idea that this is a pleasant experience.

Enlist the help of some friends to hold plastic sheets in order to fashion a chute or tunnel for the horse to walk through. Make it wider at one end and narrower at the other, emulating a trailer. Again, coax the horse gently to walk through this makeshift chute. When the horse is comfortable with this exercise, try making a tunnel like structure using a plastic sheet and walk your horse through it. Your helpers can stand on hay bates to reach the desired height.

These easy steps should help trailer train the most difficult of horses because you have broken down the process for them making it easier to accept. Breaking down any exercise in this way makes the horse less prone to being overwhelmed by a situation and more accepting.

Work with your horse at his own pace and never lose your temper. A lot of gentle encouraging goes a long way and patience is definitely a virtue with horses. Once your horse is going through the above mentioned exercises confidently it’s time to introduce the actual trailer.

Use a lead rope and lead the horse into the trailer confidently, if you display any sign of hesitation your horse will sense it. If the horse refuses to load, turn him around and try again. Keep doing this in a firm and calm manner until the horse loads. Once the horse is in the trailer, praise him profusely and offer him a reward for a job well done.

Calmly lead the horse out and try again, remember to feed and offer the horse treats in the trailer then unload him. Don’t leave the horse in the trailer for long periods of time initially; your goal is to make him comfortable being led into the trailer.

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